Roof covering and method of forming same



N. P. HARSHBERG'EE ROOF COVERING AND METHOD OF FORMING SAME March 6, 1934.

Filed Sept. 23, 1929 ATTORNEYS.

Patented Mar. 6, 1934 PATENT OFFICE ROOF COVERING AND METHOD OF FORMING SAME Norman P. Harshberger, Pasadena, Calif., as-

signor to Bakelite Building Products 00., 1110., New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application September 23, 1929, Serial No. 394,725

Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in root covering and method of forming same.

It is one of the objects of this invention to provide an improved roof covering and method 5 of forming the same by means of which a plurality of units may be cut from a blank so that there is no waste, the said units being so shaped that when they are grouped on a roof a plurality of symmetrical figures is formed in conjunction m with figures delineated on each unit.

4 A further object of this invention is to provide an improved roof covering in which each unit is formed with novel means for effecting an interlocking engagement with adjacent units.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a roof covering in which the units are adapted to be so laid with relation to one another that there is the minimum amount of overlapping, thus rendering the roofing very economic 081. A more specific object of this invention is to provide an improved roof covering comprising a plurality of units, each unit comprising a foursided figure, two adjacent sides of each unit being substantially homologous and forming stepped edges of a group of symmetrical figures delineated on the unit, the said sides being adapted to extend obliquely on the roof.

A further object of this invention is to pro- 3Q vide a roof covering which is comparatively simple to manufacture, is attractive in appearance, and well adapted for the purpose described. With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists of the improved roof covering and method of forming the same, and all its parts and combinations as set forth in the claims, and all equivalents thereof;

In the accompanying drawing, in which the same reference numerals designate the same parts in all of the views:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of aweb showing the method of cutting outothe units;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a group of units as assembled on a roof; Fig. 3 is a plan view of a single unit;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a blank on a smaller scale, showing the method or cutting out amodified form of unit,

Fig. 5 is a plan view showing a. group or one type oi modified unit as assembled.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the numeral 5 designates a web formed of suitable composition material such as is commonly employed in covering roofs. The said blank has dem lineated thereon lines of demarcation 6, which form a plurality of symmetrical figures, the said figures being preferably of hexagonal shape as shown in the principal form, although this particular shape may be varied without departing from the spirit of the invention. The said blank 00 is run through a cutting machine and is cut on a plurality of irregular lines '7 which extend transversely of the blank. It is to be noted that said lines of cut coincide with the sides of certain of the delineated figures. The blank is also cut on as a plurality of lines 8 which extend substantially longitudinally of the blank through a medial portion thereof. The lines of out 8 also coincide with the sides of certain of the delineated figures. It

is to be noted that the lines of cut '7 and 8 deviate at certain places from the line of the delineated figures to form protruding portions 9 of slightly greater width than the opposite side of the figures of which said protruding portions form a part. In Fig. 1 of the drawing, the lines of cut 7 and 8 it are indicated by heavy lines so as to be distinguishable from the lines of demarcation 6.

After the separate units are severed from the blank, slits 10 and 11 are cut therein. The unit then has the appearance of that shown in Fig. cc 3, with two substantially homologous sides 12 and 13 forming the lower edges of the printed figures and converging toward the protruding portion 9. The other two sides 14 and 15 are non-homologous, the side 14 having been formed by the side of the blank, and the irregular side 15 having been formed by one of the lines of cut 7.

The units are especially practical in application as they may be assembled on the roof as shown in Fig. 2, in horizontally or diagonally extending rows in either direction. The corners of the protruding portion 9 of one unit extend through the slits 10 and 11 of two units positioned below to efficiently interlock the three units. When assembled, the non-homologous sides of each unit 96 are covered over, and the homologous sides are alinecl with the upper edges of the delineated figures to form a very attractive grouping of symmetrical figures.

It is to be noted that in the improved method 1 0 of cutting the units from the blank, in order to obviate waste, one side, which is the side 15, is necessarily of irregular form. In the present improved shingle, however, the said irregular side is not objectionable, as it is covered over as shown M in Fig. 2, and the strip of material thereadjacent. forms an extrathickness in certain parts of the roof. 7

It is further to be noted that in cutting the units, the units on one side of the blank extend E1431 in one direction and the units on the other side extend in the opposite direction. By employing this method, the irregularities formed by cutting out the protruding portion 9 of one. unit, come in the portion of the adjacent unit which is to be covered over when assembled on the roof. Thus there is nothing to spoil the symmetry of the two homologous sides 12 and 13 of each unit.

From the foregoing description it may readily be seen that a very ingenious method has been provided for cutting out a plurality of irregular units from an elongated strip of material having parallel sides, so that there is no waste, the said irregular units being adapted to form symmetrical figures in conjunction with figures delineated thereon when said units are assembled on a roof.

In Fig. 4, a modification is illustrated, showing the method of cutting out units of substantially the same general shape as in the principal form. However, in the modification the lines of cut 7' form sides which have right angular step portions as distinguished from the step portions formed by obtuse angles in the sides 12 and 13 of the principal form. The modification, with Said right angularly stepped side portions, is well adapted for use in connection with the rectangular designs which are delineated thereon and which are indicated by the numeral 6'. It is to be noted that in one blank, two pairs of units are provided with designs extending in the opposite direction. It is, of course, necessary to select units on which the designs extend in the same direction when covering a roof.

In one pair of units 18 of the modification, locking slits 10' and 11 are employed in the sides which are arranged to engage recesses 9 in the lower ends of adjacent units as shown in Fig. 5. When the units are cut from the blank, the sections 16 and 1'? of the blank are discarded. The other pair of units may be nailed in place on the roof as shown in Fig. 6.

It may thus be seen that in both the principal form and the modification, a shingle unit has been provided which has a pair of dgvnwardly converging homologous sides formed by stepped oflset portions which form the edges of a group of symmetrical figures delineated on the unit.

What I claim is:

1. A roof covering unit comprising a section of material having a substantially V-shaped lower portion terminating in a downward projection, said unit having a group of figures delineated thereon, the lower lines of said group of figures coinciding with the lower edges of the unit, and the corners of said downward .projection protruding beyond the lower lines of said group of figures, the upper lines of said group 01' figures being spaced from the upper edges of the unit, and the sides of said unit having slits extending inwardly along the upper lines of said group of figures, said slits being adapted to be engaged by the corners of the downward projections of adjacent units so as to lock said units in such a position that their lower edges coincide with the upper lines of the group of figures.

2. v A roof covering unit comprising a section of material having a substantially V-shaped .lower portion terminating in a downward projection, said unit having a group of figures to be exposed delineated thereon, the lower edges of said group of figures coinciding with the lower edges of the unit, and the corners of said downward projection protruding beyond the lower edges of said group of figures, the upper edges of said group or figures to be exposed being spaced from the upper edges of the unit, and the sides of said unit having slits extending inwardly along the upper edges of said group of figures, said slits being adapted to be engaged by the corners of the downward projections of adjacent units so as to lock said units in such a position that their lower edges coincide with the upper edges of the group of figures to be exposed.

3. A roof covering comprising a plurality of units each substantially diamond shaped and laid with one pair of opposite corners extending in a line substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal edges of the roof, the two lower diagonal edges of each unit being substantially equal in length and being cut on zig-zag lines and there being a diamond shaped group of at least four figures to be exposed delineated on each unit, the lower portion of said group of figures coinciding with said lower zig-zag edges and the upper portion being spaced from the two diagonally extending upper edges of the unit, said units being adapted to be laid diagonally in either direction and horizontally with the two upper edges of one unit overlapped by the zig-zag edges of two adjacent units and said zig-zag edges registering with the upper portion of the group of figures delineated on said first unit.

4. The method of forming roofing units having figures thereon consisting of delineating on an elongated web of roofing material a plurality of groups of figures to be exposed having irregular sides and extending obliquely transverse the web, said groups being spaced apart from one another and from the edges of the web and the spaces being adapted to form unexposed portions of the roofing units, cutting the web along a plurality of irregular transverse lines so that a part of each transverse cut coincides with the sides of the figures of one group and part coincides with the sides of the figures of an adjacent group, and cutting the web along a plurality of lines extending substantially longitudinally of the web to divide each transverse group of figures into two equal parts, each part forming a roofing unit.

5. The method of forming roofing units having figures thereon consisting of delineating on an elongated web of roofing material a plurality of groups of figures to be exposed having irregular sides and extending obliquely transverse the web, said groups being spaced apart from one another and from the edges of the web and the spaces being adapted to form unexposed portions of. the roofing units, cutting the web along a plurality of irregular transverse lines so that a part of each transverse cut coincides with the sides of the figures of one group and part coincides with the sides of the figures of an adjacent group, and cutting the web along a plurality of lines to divide each transverse group of figures into two equal parts, each part forming a roofing unit.

6. The method of forming roofing units having figures thereon consisting of delineating on an elongated web of roofing material a plurality of groups of figures to be exposed having irregu lar sides and extending obliquely transverse the web, said' groups being spaced apart from one 7 transverse groups which are to form unexposed portions of the units, and cutting the web along a plurality of lines to divide each transverse group of figures into two equal parts, each part forming a roofing unit.

7. A roof covering unit comprising a substantially diamond shaped section of material having its two lower diagonal edges of substantially equal length and forming zig-zag lines, there being a diamond shaped group of at least four figures to be exposed delineated on said unit, the lower portion of said group of figures coinciding with said lower zig-zag edges and the upper portion being spaced from the two diagonally extending upper edges of the unit, said unit being adapted to be laid with other similar units in horizontally or diagonally extending rows with the lower zigzag edge of one unit overlapping an upper edge of two subjacent units to simulate a covering comprising the delineated figures.

8. A relatively large diamond shaped roofing element cut from a sheet of composition material and surfaced so as to present a closed group of smaller substantially similar-shaped configurations to be exposed, there being two configurations disposed centrally longitudinally, one above the other, and two others arranged one on either side of the central two, the lower perimetric edge of said group of figures forming two lower converging weather exposed sides of the element and the upper perimetric edge of the group of figures to be exposed being spaced inwardly from the two other converging sides of the element, said element having a longitudinal projection beyond the contiguous longitudinal converging sides of the element to serve as a filler in assembly, and said element being capable of being laid upon a roofing surface with other similar elements in horizontally or diagonally extending rows in either direction with the lower weather exposed sides of one element overlapping an upper side of two subjacent elements and so registering with the upper portion of the group of figures to be exposed adjacent thereto to form a surfacing comprising said configurations.

9. A roof covering unit comprising a section of material having a substantially V-shaped lower portion terminating in a downward projection, said unit having a group of figures to be exposed delineated thereon, the lower edges of said group of figures coinciding with the lower edges of the unit, and the corners of said downward pro-- jection protruding beyond the lower edges of said group of figures, the upper edges of said group of figures to be exposed being spaced from the upper edges of the unit, and the sides of said unit having inwardly extending slits, said unit being adapted to be laid upon a roofing surface with other similar units in horizontally or diagonally extending rows in either direction with the slits of ,one unit adapted to be engaged by the corners of the downward projections 01' adjacent units and being located so as to lock said adjacent units in such a position that their lower edges coincide with the upper' edges of the group of figures to be exposed to Iorm'a surface comprising said exposed figures.

10. A method of forming roofing units, each presenting a group of at least four figures to be exposed which comprises delineating on an elongated sheet of roofing material a plurality of groups of substantially similar figures to be exposed, said groups extending obliquely transverse the sheet and being spaced apart from one another and from the edges of the sheet so as to provide spaces to form unexposed portions of the roofing units, cutting the web along a plurality of irregular transverse lines so that only a 'part of each transverse cut coincides with the sides of the figures of one group, a part coincides with the sides of the figures of an adjacent group, and part divides the space between saidgroups, and cutting the sheet along substantially longitudinally extending lines comprising parallel groups of cuts, the media of each group Textending diagonally to the longitudinal axis of the sheet,

said cuts intersecting the transverse cuts to divide each transverse group of figures into two equal parts, each part forming a roofing element.

NORMAN P. HARSHBERGER. 

